Suspect in bank robbery found dead at St. Vincent Hospital

Tuesday

Mar 11, 2014 at 1:44 PMMar 11, 2014 at 8:15 PM

By Brian Lee TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

SOUTHBRIDGE — The lone suspect in the March 3 unarmed robbery of Savers Bank on Main Street apparently hanged himself in a Worcester hospital bathroom early Monday, Police Chief Daniel R. Charette said today.

On Thursday, police had identified Richard Lunt, 33, as the man wanted in the morning robbery of the bank.

They had released a wanted poster describing Mr. Lunt as armed and dangerous.

Chief Charette said Southbridge police learned from Worcester authorities that Mr. Lunt's body had been discovered at St. Vincent Hospital.

The chief was unsure of the time of the apparent suicide. A St. Vincent Hospital spokeswoman referred questions to Worcester police. Worcester police Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst could not immediately be reached for comment.

During the Southbridge robbery, a man passed a note to the teller demanding cash. No weapon was shown. The suspect fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The poster’s description of the suspect matched that of Mr. Lunt and said the suspect had "visible cancerous tumors on his shoulder and arm."

"He had previous armed robberies," Chief Charette said. "That's why we were so concerned. He had insinuated that he was quite ill and made threats that 'I'm not going back to jail.' We were concerned he was in a desperate state of mind, and he had violent acts in the past."

Asked how close authorities were to closing in on Mr. Lunt, the chief said, "We had all of his information. We had his cellphone information. We knew who he had been calling. We were absolutely sure we had probable cause for him."